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Bernie Olshansky: Both Cy Young awards were announced yesterday. R.A. Dickey won in the National League and David Price won in the American League. Dickey won by a large margin; he had 209 points by 27 first place votes and five second place votes. This race was not even close. Price on the other hand, won by four points. He received just one more first place vote than Justin Verlander, who finished second. Here’s my take on how the voting went down.

Jake Dal Porto: If there’s one compelling story that will represent the 2012 MLB season, it’s R.A Dickey’s story. At first, he was your normal fastball based type pitcher, but after finding minimal success with the normal approach, he switched gears and became one of the few knuckleballers in baseball. And the approach has worked. Now, the question that the Mets are facing is whether or not they extend him seeing that he can test open waters once the season concludes. Although, Dickey peaked at a much older age than most pitchers, as he’s currently 37 years-old.

What is he worth?

Dickey isn’t going to receive a massive contract considering his age and the knuckleball approach. Although, an annual salary of $8-10 million isn’t out of the question. Perhaps he signs a deal worth even more. However, the length of the contract isn’t going to push more than four years. Even a four-year extension could be too long for Dickey who will be 40 in nearly three years. Read the rest of this entry →

MLB reports: Our last feature was on Danny Espinosa, the Nationals rookie second baseman who is taking Washington by storm. For all the talk of Espinosa’s strong play, many readers wrote in to suggest that Dillon Gee should be at the top of the National League Rookie of the Year talk. For many MLB fans, the first question will be: Who the heck is Dillon Gee?

Dillon Kyle Gee was born and raised in Texas. The 25-year old right-handed pitcher went to high school and university in Texas. The New York Mets drafted the 6’1″ pitcher in the 21st round of the 2007 draft. That is where the story should begin and end. Most players chosen beyond the 2nd round have a very small chance of ever making it to AAA, let alone the majors. This is the not the case though for Dillon Gee, who as a 21st round selection has beaten the odds to make it to the show.

Before joining the Mets full-time this year, here is a snapshot look at Dillon Gee’s career numbers in the minors:

Dillon Gee was good, but not great in his minor league career based on the above numbers. While he was stellar in the lower minors, Gee was not exactly “lights out” in AAA. In 221.1 innings pitched in Buffalo over parts of three seasons, Dillon Gee had a 4.76 ERA and 1.310 WHIP. By failing to dominate in AAA, one would have realistically expected Gee to require more seasoning before coming to New York or end up running the risk of getting lit up in the majors.

As you can see from Gee’s Mets numbers, quite the opposite has occurred:

Dillon Gee’s numbers speak for themselves. 8-1 record, 3.32 ERA and 1.184 WHIP. While he walks a shade too many batters (30/51 BB/K), he gives up far fewer hits than innings pitched. Based on his minor league numbers, I do not expect him to keep up his current pace. The 2nd and 3rd times through the league, I expect NL batters will have a better book on Gee. As the amount of innings pitched increases as well in the hot summer months, Gee will likely wear down. In 2009, Gee missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury. The Mets will likely wear kid gloves with him to some extent and not over extend his arm or risk causing further injury.

The New York Mets currently sit at 39-39, a .500 record with almost half a season completed. Not much was expected of a team with a great deal of scandal and turmoil surrounding it. One of the few bright spots though, in addition to the strong play and resurgent seasons by Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, has been the emergence of Dillon Gee. The patchwork pitching of the staff is nothing to write home about. Jonathon Niese, Mike Pelfrey, Chris Capuano and R.A. Dickey have combined with Gee to keep the Mets afloat and the team competitive in ball games. Chris Young fell early in the season and Johan Santana remains out following shoulder surgery. If not for the play of Dillon Gee, the Mets could have found themselves in the basement of the NL East. Instead, the team is in striking distance of the Braves for 2nd place in the division.

We should know by August if we have a possible Rookie of the Year in New York or another hot-shot prospect that had a couple of good months in Dillon Gee. With so much misery surrounding the Mets, it is a pleasure to see a bright hope emerge within its pitching staff. Dillon Gee this year evolved from an unknown minor leaguer that was considered a middle-of-the-road prospect to top starter status. Mets fans are hoping they have caught lightning in a bottle in Gee for the long-term success of its team. In the meantime, Gee will continue to pitch every fifth day in New York and give his team the best chance to succeed. That is really all the Mets can ask for at the end of the day.

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The Sully Baseball In Memoriam For Players Who Passed From 2014 ASG – 2015 ASG

Chuck Booth’s 217 MLB Game 30 Parks Road Trip In 2015: Seeing at least 1 game per day in all days of MLB action

215 - 220 Games is roughly 9 percent of the entire MLB schedule, for upcoming games, click the picture

The Sports Legacy Institute Link For Donation Towards Concussion Research

This is the Charity Designated for by Chuck Booth on his year long trek. As a survivor of multiple concussions himself, this is a great cause. A pioneering institute that is looking to solve the concussion crisis in today's society. There is education, policy and research that will benefit from your $ Click the logo and make a contribution to the fight

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Tommy John Surgery All – Time Tracker Page

Tommy John Surgery Tracker History 4 all players who have gone under the knife ever Page plus 2014 Updates - click picture

Interleague Master Schedule + Results 2015

American League Leads 2015 series 117 - 106 (.525), AL Leads all time series 2470 - 2232 (.526)

The MLB BallPark Pass-Port Is A Must Purchase For Those Planning To See All 30

The Ballpark Passport is quickly becoming the favorite item among Ballpark Chasers, to chronicle their life goal to see all 30 Major League Parks. You are able to receive the stamps kit for a small additional price. At around $75 all combined, it will contain one of the biggest memento's ever for a Ballpark Chaser's best bucket list wish ever#Greatgiftidea

Chuck Booth’s 30 MLB Parks Trip World Record Page

In 2012, Chuck Booth attended a complete game in all 30 MLB Parks in just 23 calendar days, click the image of he and Larry Lucchino to read all about it.

Official shirt for the 183 in 2015 road trip, we have shirts for sale for shipping Apr.19, 2015 (PAYPAL or MONEY ORDER only) with the proceeds going to the Sports Legacy Institute. Email us - mlbreports@gmail.com or click link to see more of the shirt.

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The Cubs have designated pitcher Yoervis Medina for assignment, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Medina, who turned 27 last week, came to the Cubs in the May deal sending Welington Castillo to the Mariners. The right-hander has tossed a combined 21 innings for the Cubs and Mariners this season, adding up to a 4.71 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in […]

The Cubs announced that they have designated Taylor Teagarden for assignment. In a related move, left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The 31-year-old Teagarden hit .303/.403/.579 in 211 plate appearances with the Mets’ hitter-friendly Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season. This season, he has slashed .294/.375/.43 […]

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league. The Mets have signed pitcher Tim Stauffer to a minor league contract, according to the MLB transactions page. Stauffer was released by the Twins earlier this summer and signed with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters in mid-July. He posted a 6.60 ERA in 15 innings with the Twins. Over a 590 inning major le […]

The Rockies have designated reliever Aaron Laffey for assignment, tweets Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. The transaction was part of a series of moves that allowed the club to recall Christian Bergman, Scott Oberg, and Kyle Parker. Pitcher Kyle Kendrick and outfielder Corey Dickerson were placed on the disabled list. The Rockies also designated Laffey o […]

The Athletics have announced that they’ve designated lefty reliever Eric O’Flaherty for assignment. The move clears space on the Athletics’ active roster for righty and recent trade acquisition Aaron Brooks, who has been promoted from Nashville to start tonight. The 30-year-old O’Flaherty has struggled this season, posting a 5.91 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9 in […]